A Message from the Provost

May 27, 2020

I hope you all had an opportunity to relax and recharge with friends and family, whether in person or virtually, over this past Memorial Day weekend. Whether you’re teaching this summer or are taking a well-deserved break, I want to continue to provide you with important updates about emerging issues and information that might affect you as we move forward.

Next week, we will begin our Phase I opening of our campuses to provide limited in-person services to our students every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Access to our campuses will be limited to the service areas open which include the enrollment centers, student financial aid, the Technology Learning Centers, and the Registrar’s offices. Should you need to visit your office, please contact the president’s office at your campus to make arrangements prior to coming to campus.

As we begin the first day of summer semester, we are also looking ahead and planning for modifications to the fall 2020 course schedule as part of our Phase II return to campus sites. Over the past few weeks, we have been meeting with various governance and contract committees, Deans Council, and faculty leadership to hear recommendations and together identify modifications to the course schedule, and in particular, determine any updates to the different course modalities. Shared principles of this work included, in part, ensuring the safety of students, faculty and staff, minimizing disruption although we understand we remain in a dynamic environment and maintaining academic quality. The first step to making modifications is to define course modalities for fall which will include:

Online (asynchronous): These are similar to current and previous practices. Courses are instructor paced with content and assignment deadlines but students are not required to participate in live/web class meetings at specific times. This does not preclude an instructor scheduling a class meeting but we ask the faculty member to record the session and make it available to students as appropriate. The student’s expectation will be that there are no required synchronous or on-ground class meetings.

Blended (online with synchronous meetings): These courses would be offered online but would include scheduled online class meetings to be held synchronously. Students would be required to attend per the instructor’s participation guidelines. The class meetings would be pre-scheduled and shared with students in advance through the course schedule (for example, every M and W from 10:00 am -11:00 am). In the event the college determines it is safe to bring more faculty and students to campus, some of these courses may meet on-ground during their synchronous days and time while adhering to CDC, state and local health department guidelines including social distancing and the use of PPE.

On-ground (exceptions only): These courses are exceptions to our Phase II approach and are only approved as on-ground with dean and campus president approval. Courses that we expect to offer this way need specific access to lab equipment that cannot be duplicated in a virtual or simulation environment or are required to be face-to-face per accreditation and licensure standards.

Deans will work with faculty, faculty coordinators and program directors to make any necessary modifications. If faculty and/or program directors know of any courses that must meet on-ground, please share this information with your associate dean as soon as possible.

As a reminder, please remember to include the following COVID-19 syllabi statement for your summer courses. A brief faculty FAQ has also been developed to support this statement and can be found on the Faculty Tab in My Tri-C Space and on the COVID-19 website under faculty resources.

Coronavirus/COVID-19 Syllabus Statement

Students are responsible for adhering to all College health and safety guidance including as it relates to the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Public health requirements and standards are changing rapidly in response to the pandemic. The College is adapting guidance as the situation unfolds; therefore, please check your Tri-C email address and www.tri-c.edu/coronavirus regularly for updated guidance. Students must generally adhere to the following guidelines, until further notice:

Remain home and not attend any in-person class or gathering, and all students (including online) must notify your instructor(s), if you are: ill, tested positive for Coronavirus/COVID-19, or have been exposed to a Coronavirus/COVID-19 carrier

Wear a mask or face covering at all times, including, but not limited to upon entry and exit of all Tri-C facilities, in class, and in all common areas

Maintain a social distance of at least six (6) feet between yourself and others at all times

Provide the College with relevant information about your current health status and participate in any required on-site checks (i.e. temperature checks, etc.)

Use only designated areas of Tri-C facilities or buildings, entrances and exits and sign-in and out of Tri-C buildings and facilities as directed.

Dr. Johnson will be hosting a virtual Town Hall for faculty and staff this Friday, May 29th at 3:30 pm. More details, including the link to view the meeting, will be emailed to you this week.

As we begin the summer term, we continue to support spring experiential courses needing to complete work on ground, we are enhancing our technology and technology support for both students and faculty, preparing the campuses for opening safely next week for limited operations, updating and enhancing our fall offerings and modalities, and continuing to work on budget and staffing implications as a result of COVID-19. It is a busy time to say the least, but I continue to thank you and value you all for your support, collaboration and focus on the big picture. You are all an awesome group!